Promised Land
Chuck Berry [The Roxy 1982] Lyrics
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California on my mind
I Straddled that Greyhound,
and rolled in into Raleigh and all across Carolina
Stopped in Charlotte and bypassed Rock Hill
And we never was a minute late
We was ninety miles out of Atlanta by sundown
We had motor trouble it turned into a struggle,
Half way 'cross Alabam
And that 'hound broke down and left us all stranded
In downtown Birmingham
Right away, I bought me a through train ticket
Ridin' cross Mississippi clean
And I was on that midnight flier out of Birmingham
Smoking into New Orleans
Somebody help me get out of Louisiana
Just help me get to Houston town
There are people there who care a little 'bout me
And they won't let the poor boy down
Sure as you're born, they bought me a silk suit
Put luggage in my hands,
And I woke up high over Albuquerque
On a jet to the promised land
Workin' on a T-bone steak a la carte
Flying over to the Golden State
Oh when The pilot told me in thirteen minutes
We'd be headin' in the terminal gate
Swing low chariot, come down easy
Taxi to the terminal zone
Cut your engines, cool your wings
And let me make it to the telephone
Los Angeles give me Norfolk Virginia
Tidewater four ten O nine
Tell the folks back home this is the promised land callin'
And the poor boy's on the line
The song "Promised Land" by Chuck Berry is about a journey of a man leaving his home in Norfolk, Virginia and heading west to California. The lyrics vividly describe the geographical locations of his journey, from Raleigh to Charlotte, then Rock Hill and Atlanta. The journey is not without its hiccups, as the bus breaks down in Birmingham, Alabama, and the singer has to take a train to cross Mississippi into New Orleans. As he arrives in Louisiana, he is looking for help to get to Houston, where people care a little about him. The song culminates with the singer's arrival in a "promised land," referring to California, where he is welcomed with open arms, a new suit, and luggage, and where he feels that he has made it.
The song paints a picture of a restless man in search of something better, not only in terms of location but also in life. The singer's journey is symbolic of a greater search for happiness and fulfillment, which he finds in California. The chorus of the song, "Tell the folks back home this is the promised land callin'/And the poor boy's on the line," is a call for people to recognize that the singer has made it to a better place, and for them to be happy for him.
Line by Line Meaning
I left my home in Norfolk Virginia
I departed from my home in Norfolk Virginia
California on my mind
I am thinking about California and have a desire to go there
I Straddled that Greyhound, and rolled in into Raleigh and all across Carolina
I rode on a Greyhound bus and traveled through Raleigh and all over North Carolina
Stopped in Charlotte and bypassed Rock Hill
I stopped in Charlotte but didn't stop in Rock Hill
And we never was a minute late
We were always on time and never late
We was ninety miles out of Atlanta by sundown
We were 90 miles away from Atlanta when the sun went down
Rollin' out of Georgia state
We left the state of Georgia
We had motor trouble it turned into a struggle, Half way 'cross Alabam
Our vehicle broke down and we had difficulties getting it fixed in the middle of Alabama
And that 'hound broke down and left us all stranded, In downtown Birmingham
The Greyhound bus broke down and left all of us stranded in downtown Birmingham
Right away, I bought me a through train ticket, Ridin' cross Mississippi clean
I immediately purchased a train ticket and rode on it through Mississippi without any issues
And I was on that midnight flier out of Birmingham, Smoking into New Orleans
I took a midnight plane out of Birmingham and arrived in New Orleans while smoking
Somebody help me get out of Louisiana, Just help me get to Houston town
I need someone to assist me in leaving Louisiana and getting to Houston
There are people there who care a little 'bout me, And they won't let the poor boy down
There are people in Houston who care about me and will not let me down
Sure as you're born, they bought me a silk suit, Put luggage in my hands,
Without a doubt, they purchased a silk suit for me and handed me my luggage
And I woke up high over Albuquerque, On a jet to the promised land
I woke up on a plane flying high over Albuquerque on my way to the promised land
Workin' on a T-bone steak a la carte, Flying over to the Golden State
I am eating a T-bone steak while flying to the Golden State
Oh when The pilot told me in thirteen minutes, We'd be headin' in the terminal gate
The pilot informed me that we will be heading towards the terminal gate in thirteen minutes
Swing low chariot, come down easy, Taxi to the terminal zone
I hope that the plane lands safely and taxis to the terminal zone
Cut your engines, cool your wings, And let me make it to the telephone
Please turn off the engines and cool the wings so that I can make it to the phone
Los Angeles give me Norfolk Virginia, Tidewater four ten O nine
Los Angeles, please connect me to Norfolk Virginia with a Tidewater 4109 phone number
Tell the folks back home this is the promised land callin', And the poor boy's on the line
Inform the people from my hometown that I am calling from the promised land and that I am on the line
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Chuck Berry
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@million_bells
I left my home in Norfolk Virginia
California on my mind
I straddled that Greyhound,
And rolled in into Raleigh and all across Carolina
Stopped in Charlotte and bypassed Rock Hill
And we never was a minute late
We was ninety miles out of Atlanta by sundown
Rollin' out of Georgia state
We had motor trouble it turned into a struggle,
Half way 'cross Alabam
And that 'hound broke down and left us all stranded
In downtown Birmingham
Right away, I bought me a through train ticket
Ridin' cross Mississippi clean
And I was on that midnight flier out of Birmingham
Smoking into New Orleans
Somebody help me get out of Louisiana
Just help me get to Houston town
There are people there who care a little 'bout me
And they won't let the poor boy down
Sure as you're born, they bought me a silk suit
Put luggage in my hands,
And I woke up high over Albuquerque
On a jet to the promised land.
@1945biged1
I don't care what anyone says, Chuck Berry was the rock n roll poet. He not only revolutionized the guitar riff, but he also wrote fantastic lyrics. His lyrics made sense and yet were still fun.
@icanfartloud
He "borrowed" JBGoode guitar riff from and old big band r@b song
@modoc97405
Well he’s widely recognized as a poet. He even won the Pen award for literary excellence along with Leonard Cohen
@modoc97405
@@icanfartloudWhat band and what song did he get it from?
@joesephsizian9113
Thank goodness for Chuck and Keeef
@jeroengeronimo
Very strong, almost invincible, this man is what you get if you want Rock and Roll
@tylercoogan1870
Might be best 2 minutes 9 seconds on whole net. Facts / pure joy/ thanks for post.
@buckodonnghaile4309
It's definitely up there. Incredible, cheers
@Furball2k
Rock N' Roll Owes Everything To This Man!!!
@MrLeadbelly1966
Don't you know? Ike Turner invented Rock-n-Roll!!!!